Door and gate closer.



J. ENEIX.

DOOR AND GATE CLOSER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7, 1913.

' 1,083,809. Patented Ja1 1.6, 1914.

' 2% l3 /0 lg /\J"\ I I I I II UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ENEIX, or ANITA, IOWA.

DOOR AND GATE CLOSER.

rosasoe.

Application filed February 7, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN ENEIX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Anita, in the county of Cass and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door and Gate Closers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for automatically closing doors, gates and like swinging structures, and has for one of its objects to simplify and improve the construction and increase the efficiency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed device which may be readily applied without structural change in the door, gate or other closure and readily adapted to doors and gates of various sizes and forms.

l/Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereafter shown and clescribed and then specifically pointed out in the claim.

The improved device is readily adapted to swinging closures of various kinds such as doors, gates, and the like, and it is not desired to limit the invention to any specific structure with which it is adapted to be employed, but for the purpose of illustration the improved device is shown applied to a conventional door, and in the drawings, illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a door and its casing with the improved device applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the improved device applied to a portion of a door and its casing. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of a door casing with the improved device applied and in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the improved device in section on the line H of Fig. 2.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

The improved device comprises a casing or shell formed with sides 10-11 spaced apart and a connecting web 12, the latter being extended at the ends to receive the holding screws or other fastening devices 13 by which the shell is secured to the door casing, a portion of which is represented at 14.

Disposed between the sides 10-11 of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

Serial No. 746,954.

shell is a body 15 having outwardly opening recesses in each side separated by a transverse partition or web 16. By this means an upper chamber is provided between the shell member 10 and the divisional partition 16 and a lower chamber between the partition and the lower shell member 11.

The shell members 10-11 are connected by a pivot bolt 17 provided preferably with a head 18 in one end and a clamp nut 19 at the other end. Mounted for rotation upon the pivot bolt 17 within the lower chamber is a drum 20, and extending from the drum is a tubular stud 21 which projects through the partition 16 and into the upper chamber as shown. The tubular projection 21 is provided with a lateral recess in which the inner end of a coil. spring 2% is received, the outer end of the spring being received and held in a lateral cavity 25 in the body 15 as shown in Fig. 3. The drum 20 is provided with a lateral cavity 26 in which the inner end 27 of a flexible strap 28 is received, the strap being preferably of metal and adapted to be wound around the lateral drum.

The body 15 is provided at one side with an opening 29 which leads into the lower chamber and out through which the outer terminal of the strap 28 extends and is providled with a coupling member 30 at its free enc.

Connected to the door, a portion of which is represented conventionally at 31, is a bracket 32 upturned at its outer end and provided with a journal 33 to receive the coupling member 30. The bracket 32 is provided with a stop shoulder 3 1 to support the coupling member 30 on the journal 33 and is provided with means, such as a cotter pin 35, to hold the coupling member 80 from upward movement. The bracket 32 is provided with lateral offsets 36 to receive the holding screws or other suitable fastening devices whereby the bracket is secured to the door.

It is shown by reference to Fig. 4. that the strap 28 is wound in one direction around the drum 20, while the spring 21 is coiled in the opposite direction around the tubular stud 21 and thus exerts its force to hold the strap 28 in wound position upon the drum. The strap being connected to the bracket 32 and the bracket connected to the door 31, it will be obvious that the tension of the spring is utilized to maintain the door normally and yieldably in closed position, and then when the door is opened the bracket moving with the door in the arc of a circle will draw the strap outwardly thus rotating the drum 20 and its stud 21 against the resistance of the spring 24 and wind the latter around the stud, and then when the door is released the reaction of the spring will reverse the move ment of the drum 20 and again wind the strap thereon and draw the door into closed position.

The member comprising the parts l0 1l12 is constructed from a single plate of metal bent to the required shape, while the body 15 will likewise preferably be con structed of metal as light as possible consistent with the strains to which it will be subjected.

The strength of the spring 24 will be proportioned to the weight of the door, and it will be increased or decreased in weight or size by any increase or decrease in the weight of the door or other structure to which it is attached. The diameter of the drum 20 will also be increased or decreased to increase or decrease the power required to operate the structure to which it is applied as circumstances may require.

The strap 28 is preferably of slightly resilient material so that it will readily wind upon the drum.

No part of the spring, it will be noted, is exposed in the improved device and the spring therefore remains covered and protected.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be readily applied to doors, gates, and like devices without structural change therein and of any required strength to cor respond to the weight of the structure to which it is applied.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

In a device of the class described, a shell including sides spaced apart and with a web connecting the sides and adapted to be attached to a stationary support, a body within said shell and bearing at one side against said connecting web and having oppositely opening chambers arranged to be closed by the spaced sides of the shell, one of the chambers having an opening in one side, a drum within the chamber having an opening and provided with a stud projecting into the other chamber, a fastening device extending through the sides of said shell and through said drum and its stud and binding the parts together with the body held against the web and prevented from displacement thereby, a spring connected at one end to said stud and at the other end to said body, and a strap connected to said drum and arranged to be wound thereon and extending through said shell opening, said strap adapted to be connected to a movable body.

In testimony whereof I ailiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ENEIX.

"Witnesses:

ROY H. ENEIX, L. C. BANGHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

